Syracuse (2-3, 0-1 Atlantic Coast), losers of two straight on the road, comes back to the Dome for a match up with Pittsburgh (2-3, 0-1 ACC). The last time the Orange played the Panthers, the teams combined for an FBS record 137 points and over 1300 yards as Pitt downed SU, 76-61.

See what beat writers Joe Bloss, Sam Fortier, Matthew Gutierrez and Tomer Langer have to say about the game and which side they pick to win.

Joe Bloss (3-2)
Pitt’s going down, I’m yelling tim-burgh
Syracuse 36, Pittsburgh 30

Last year’s game, played in the second-best metropolis in the state of Pennsylvania, will not come close to being repeated because that’s impossible. Syracuse’s defense will continue to make strides but a special teams touchdown will skew Pitt’s point total. SU’s offense will still start strong — for once. It will run better than it did last week, which isn’t hard to do considering how bad it was in Raleigh. But the story of this game will Eric Dungey stuffing the stat sheet again. He, Ervin Philips and Steve Ishmael are in a zone right that should have Pitt’s 107th ranked passing defense fearful. It’s why
dozens of SU alumni will pack the Carrier Dome for Saturday’s Orange-out. Come say hi!

Sam Fortier (4-1)
That’s the Pitts
Syracuse 34, Pittsburgh 26

Syracuse “desperately needs a win,” head coach Dino Babers said, and, according to FootballStudyHall.com, there are only two games for the rest of the season in which the Orange has a greater than 44 percent chance to win. This is one of them, and Boston College is the other. The Orange needs to capitalize against a plodding offense that lacks explosiveness and struggles to finish drives. With a defensive line stiffening and Chris Fredrick emerging as a top corner, Syracuse has the weapons to prevent Pitt from running wild like last season and putting up enough points to leave the Dome with a W.

Matthew Gutierrez (3-2)
Air Pitt
Syracuse 38, Pittsburgh 34

The X-factor Saturday will be Syracuse’s defense because it’s clear SU will score, as Pitt’s defense seemingly can’t stop anything in the air (e.g. 572 passing yards in a blowout loss to Oklahoma State). SU played fairly well the last two weeks against solid teams on the road and Pitt has allowed at least 31 points in 13 of its past 14 games against conference opponents. Syracuse has lost four straight to Pitt, which hung around Penn State and Georgia Tech on the road this year, but SU will capitalize through the air to edge the Panthers.

Tomer Langer (4-1)
Pitt stop
Syracuse 41, Pitt 31

While last year’s game was wild, don’t discount some offensive fireworks in the Carrier Dome this time around. Other than the Middle Tennessee State game — in which head coach Dino Babers said he didn’t get his team prepared — the Orange offense has looked very solid all year. Now, it’s back at home and facing a Pittsburgh defense that’s significantly weaker than LSU or N.C. State (the Panthers rank outside the Top 100 in total defense while NC State and LSU are in the top 60). Return ace Quadree Henderson is still a threat for a Panthers team that should be able to hang around with the Orange for the bulk of the game. But too much from the Syracuse passing attack, picking on the productive yet inexperienced Pittsburgh secondary, should make this a win with some breathing room for the Orange.

Published on October 5, 2017 at 8:35 pm